Tamil Nadu: Kanimozhi Karunanidhi inaugurates first butterfly festival in Tuticorin

MADURAI: Tuticorin MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi inaugurated Tuticorin's first butterfly festival at Killikulam Agriculture Extension Centre on Tuesday.
The two-day festival displays an exhibition of more than 200 butterfly species and screening of films on butterflies. Students attending the festival participated in thematic games and competitions based on the butterflies.
Students were also taken on a field trip to study butterflies at Vallanadu Blackbuck Sanctuary.Butterfly experts accompanied the students and explained about different species.
Tuticorin district forest department along with Agasthyamalai Community-based Conservation Centre of ATREE, Manimutharu, are conducting the butterfly festival.
Kanimozhi also accompanied the students to the sanctuary. She distributed tree saplings to the farmers at Keela Vallanadu forest nursery. Minister for social welfare Geetha Jeevan and fisheries and fishermen welfare minister Anitha Radhakrishnan accompanied Kanimozhi.
Around 100 school students from Tirunelveli and Tuticorin districts participated in the festival on Tuesday, while another 100 students are expected on Wednesday.
Tuticorin forest department and Agasthyamalai Community-based Conservation Centre have been conducting butterfly census at Vallanadu Blackbuck Sanctuary for the last one year. They have documented more than 80 species of butterflies in the region. The sanctuary is home to blackbucks, sambar deer and spotted deer in addition to 100 species of birds.